Research
Research is an evident part of CWF. From 2011 we are running research studies in disability, education and gender areas. Our Child laborer study of 2012 was one of the first studies in central Kolkata on that issue. CWF is one of the pioneer in studies related to Transgender basic healthcare in India. In the disability sector CWF proposes a unique model of empowerment through systematic sports for people with disabilities. CWF has more than 8 research studies in last 10 years and more than 30 research interns who are placed in different universities throughout the world.
Research Publications & articles
Unified Theatre
Unified Theater, an initiative taken by us in collaboration with Special Olympics Bharat, is the first of its kind in India. This new concept of unified theater involves young athletes with and without disabilities practicing and performing together that help them to develop their cognitive empathy towards each other’s thoughts, feelings and perceptions. We are also conducting a longitudinal research on 40 participants to assess the psychosocial development of the participants. We are using both qualitative and quantitative data analysis to assess the results.
Accessibility for People with Disabilities in West Bengal, India.
The chapter discusses social and cultural narratives regarding the positionality of Persons with Disabilities in public spaces, focusing on one of the largest religious festivals in the world, the
Sarbojanin Durga Puja. 15% of the world’s population lives with disabilities, while India is
populated with 26.8 million persons with disabilities. Accessibility and universal design to provide barrier free access to public spaces forms an essential part of the disability rights approach. Rendering the PWD population as being godly or sinful has further left them marginalized and overlooked. Freedom of religion, and freedom to engage in religious festivals and rituals are interlinked with accessibility to religious spaces and structures. This chapter brings to light questions of inclusivity and accessibility of Durga Puja in Kolkata, West Bengal. It utilizes a quantitative approach to assess the physical and social barriers of the marquees, and qualitative methodology to analyse the insights of the PWD population in West Bengal, bringing into play
dimensions of gender, forms of living and social cohesion. It also looks at implementation of governmental policies in providing services to enable mobility and participation in religious and cultural activities, which are one of the important constitutional rights for the PWD in India, and globally. It then goes on to suggest the necessary steps to make Durga Puja more disable friendly and accessible, with reference to international and national policies and agreements.
Conceptualizing literacy for child laborers of an urbanized slum
With the increasing problem of India’s inequality driven by unequal opportunities, one of the most prominent issues is illiteracy. Close to 1.4 million child labourers in India in the age group of 7-14 years cannot write their names making one in three child labourers in the said age group is illiterate. Yet the presence of life skills such as problem-solving ability, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, self-awareness among child labourers cannot be denied. The study makes a modest attempt at conceptualizing literacy and correlating it with acquired life skills of child laborers in an urbanized slum in Kolkata. Moreover, the study will delve upon the gendered aspects of child labors which might result in different outcomes for female child labourers. Qualitative analysis like semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions will be used along with quantitative analysis. The study expects to deliver an insight on alternative evaluation of literacy based on a deeper understanding of the psycho-social status of a child laborer.
Sports and Social Capital
Covid-19, Lockdown and at risk population
In this paper, we study the transgender or Hijra communities to recognize and discuss the ongoing and long-term economic, mental, and emotional effects of lockdown on the most vulnerable who are worse off than daily wage earners. Hijras are a group of transgender people, non-binary and intersex women who have been assigned to be male at birth. In Bangladesh, they are deprived of basic human rights such as access to health care because of discrimination. Hijras in Bangladesh, especially during the national lockdown, have been adversely affected by the pandemic. There is a need for support and awareness to improve mental health awareness and eliminate stigma and prejudice. This article stands for the impact of COVID-19 on the Hijra or transgender community in Bangladesh.
Role of ERK1/2 in melanoma cancer
Melanoma is a very aggressive form of skin cancer and have the potential to spread from a small sized primary tumor and metastasizes to different locations like lungs, bones, lymph nodes, liver and even brain. Extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) molecule present in MAPK pathway plays a major role in different carcinogenic processes like cell migration, cell invasiveness by altering the extracellular matrix
(ECM). Cell invasiveness is facilitated by matrix metalloproteins (MMPs) by means of degradation of
gelatinase enzyme regulated by a family of receptor proteins called integrins. ECM ligand fibronectin causes increased secretion of MMPs, specially MMP2 and MMP9 facilitating invasiveness and metastasis
in cancer cells. This study aims to find the modulatory role of ERK 1/ 2 with respect to tumor
aggressiveness on both MMP2 and MMP9 on melanoma metastasis and invasion. ERK pathway was downregulated through administration of inhibitors and ERK 1/ 2 siRNA gene silencing the effect on
MMP2 and MMP9 was studied. The studies were done in B16F10 melanoma cell line and mice model. Significant changes were found in levels of MMP2 and MMP9 after downregulating the ERK pathway and can therefore a correlation between ERK and MMP activities was concluded. Elucidating these molecular phenomena in melanoma, this result can help in developing and improving targeted cancer
therapies with multiple options in drug discovery.
Impact of bioaccumulation of different microorganic pollutants in fishes
In the past three decades biological and chemical pollutants have become a serious environmental issue posing major threat to the society, industries and public sectors. Toxic contaminants are produced in most household, agricultural and industrial activities. In the past few years different advanced electrochemical oxidation technologies and low-carbon
technologies are being used widely for preventing environmental pollution and remediation of the micropollutants particularly
in waterbodies. In these technologies powerful oxidizing agents like hydroxyl radicals are formed electrochemically which
degrade organic micropollutants till their mineralization. Fish serves as an effective bioindicator of aquatic health due to their
higher trophic position in aquatic food chain and high sensitivity to pollutants. As fishes are consumed by humans globally as a major source of protein, it is also used to indicate the impact of aquatic pollution on human health. In this review we discuss the impact of micropollutants on the fish physiology and the advanced wastewater management techniques used for rapid removal of these pollutants from aquatic ecosystem. Here we discuss both advantages and disadvantages of different commonly used wastewater management techniques which would be beneficial to determine which technology would best suit one’s specific requirements without causing much harm to the environment, a step towards green and sustainable future.
Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a ripple effect on all our lives, changing our work, leisure, sleeping patterns, food habits
and everyday lives. Persons with disabilities, especially those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), have
borne the biggest brunt of the pandemic, being marginalised and side-lined in aspects of medical treatment, accessibility
to public facilities and services, and support systems. This paper focuses on the impact of the pandemic on the lives of
child athletes with IDD in West Bengal. The study uses primary data collected from guardians of children with IDD using
interviews, along with data from other empirical research. The routines of child athletes with IDD have broken down, and
have resulted in them undergoing multifarious behavioural and emotional changes. Apart from finding it difficult to cope
with the changing situation, the children are also facing problems in accessing medical facilities and services, educational
institutions, and open spaces. The legal frameworks for maintaining the health of PWDs are not being followed, causing
deterioration and breakdown in communication, transportation, accessibility to services and schemes. Finally, the paper
ends with suggestions and measures that must be taken to enable the PWD population to maintain a life of dignity and
well-being.
It looks at the changes in behavioral patterns, sleep patterns, and the changes in the daily routines of these
athletes. It further looks into the ways these athletes have used mechanisms of sports and exercise to create new sets of
routine in making sense of the pandemic life. Accessibility to healthcare facilities and services during this period has also
been analysed, and the multifarious problems it holds for persons with disabilities. Legal frameworks at both
international and national levels, along with new guidelines for care of PWDs, and the overall Government response in the
pandemic have also been studied. Finally, the paper ends with suggestions and measures that must be taken to enable the
PWD population to maintain a life of dignity and well-being.
Sports as means of inclusion and empowerment for persons with disabilities
The disabled population of India suffers marginalisation in several aspects of life which leads to a low self-image. It further results to a diminished quality of life with several social and psychological malfunctioning. This qualitative study aims to investigate the role of sports in the psychosocial empowerment and social inclusion of the disabled athletes. 3 male and 2 female disabled athletes with minimum 50% disability were interviewed for this study. They are all competitive level athletes with minimum three years of sporting experience. Thematic analysis of the interview indicates that sports may play a seminal role in enhancing the self-esteem, self-efficacy, achievement motivation and perceived competence of the individuals. Furthermore, the respondents indicated that sports have helped them expand their social sphere and gain greater accessibility in an inclusive environment. The role of family and peers was explored in this context. It was noticed that psychoeducation may be essential for the groups to ensure better support for the disabled population. Potential barriers encountered by the respondents were identified and possible solutions were discussed.